Keyboard Focus and the Highlight

Keyboard focus uses the highlight to show you which element of a window, menu, or control will respond to your input. To activate a selected menu item or control (such as a button), press the Spacebar.

In windows and dialog boxes, you can move the keyboard focus among tab groups. A tab group is a collection of related controls, such as a set of buttons.

This portion of a dialog box shows the keyboard focus on the OK button.

Moving the Keyboard Focus

To move the keyboard focus, as shown by the highlight:

Within a window, dialog box, or the front panel

Press

To Move To

Tab

The next tab group

Shift+Tab

The previous tab group

Down Arrow

The next control in the tab group

Up Arrow

The previous control in a tab group

F10

The window's menu bar--use the arrow keys to display menus and move among their items

Shift+F10

The selected
object's pop-up menu--use the arrow keys to move among the menu's items

Alt+Spacebar

The Window menu

Within a workspace

Press

To Move To

Alt+Tab or Alt+Esc

The next window or icon

Shift+Alt+Tab

The previous window or icon

Alt+Up Arrow

The bottom window in a stack of windows (bringing it forward)

Alt+Down Arrow

The bottom of the window stack

Alt+F6

The next window belonging to an application, or between the Front Panel and a subpanel

Shift+Alt+F6

The previous
window belonging to an application, or between the Front Panel and a subpanel

Within a menu

Press

To Move To

Down Arrow

The next menu item

Up Arrow

The previous menu item

Press the Spacebar to choose a selected item from within a menu.

Press Esc to dismiss a menu.

Opening and Closing Windows

This section describes how to do window-related activities through your keyboard.

To Open an Application Window

From the Front Panel:

Press Alt+Tab to move the keyboard focus to the Front Panel.

Press the arrow keys to move the highlight within the Front Panel and select a control.

Press Return or the Spacebar to choose the control and open the application's window.

From Application Manager:

Open the Application Manager window by choosing its Front Panel control as described above.

Press the arrow keys to move the highlight to an application group icon within the Application Manager window.

Press Return twice to open the application group.

Press the arrow keys to move the highlight to an application or action icon, then press Return twice to start the application.

From a terminal emulator window:

Open a terminal emulator window by choosing its Front Panel control as described above.

When the window opens, type the command that starts the application.

To Close an Application Window

Closing a window removes it from all workspaces.

Caution -

Before closing an application window, save your work.

Press Alt+Tab to move the highlight to the window you want to close.

Press Alt+F4.

To Select a Window or Icon

Press Alt+Tab to move the highlight to the window or icon you want to select.

When a window or icon is selected, its border changes color to show that it is active and will receive input from the mouse or keyboard.

To Turn a Window into an Icon (Minimize)

Press Alt+Tab to move the highlight to the window you want to minimize.

Press Alt+Spacebar to display the Window menu.

Choose the Minimize item:

Press Down Arrow until you select Minimize, then press Return.

Or, press N, the menu's mnemonic for Minimize.

To Restore a Window from an Icon

Press Alt+Tab to move the highlight to the icon you want to restore.

Press Alt+Spacebar to display the Window menu.

Press Down Arrow to choose Restore, then press Return.

To Move a Window or Window Icon

Press Alt+Tab to move the highlight to the window or icon you want to move.

Press Alt+Spacebar to display the Window menu.

Press M, the menu's mnemonic for Move.

Press the arrow keys to relocate the window or icon.

Hold down Control while you press an arrow key to speed up the movement of the window or icon.

When you've moved the window or icon where you want it, press Return.

To cancel the move operation, press Esc.

To Resize a Window

Press Alt+Tab to move the highlight to the window you want to resize.

Press Alt+Spacebar to display the Window menu.

Press S, the menu's mnemonic for Size.

Press the arrow keys to stretch or shrink the window. An outline appears to show you the window's size.

Hold down Control while you press an arrow key to size the window faster.

When the outline shows the size you want, press Return.

To cancel the resize operation, press Esc.

To Scroll a Window's Contents

Press Alt+Tab to move the keyboard focus, as shown by the highlight, to the window whose contents you want to scroll.

Press Tab to move to the window area you want to scroll.

Press the arrow keys, Prev and Next, or Page Up and Page Down.

Hold down Control while you press an arrow key to scroll faster.

To Select a List Item

Some windows and dialog boxes display lists from which you select options or settings.

Press Tab to move the highlight to the list.

Press the arrow keys to move through the list.

To select more then one contiguous item in lists that allow you to do so, press Shift+Down Arrow or Shift+Up Arrow.

Press Tab to move the highlight to the appropriate button (such as OK), then press Return.

To Display a Pull-down Menu

To display a pull-down menu from a window's menu bar:

Press Alt+Tab to move the highlight to the application window.

Press F10 to move the highlight to the name of the first menu in the menu bar, then use the arrow keys to display menus and move among their items.

Press Return to choose a highlighted item.

To dismiss a menu without choosing an item, press Esc.

To Use a Pop-up Menu

With the keyboard focus on the component whose pop-up menu you want to display:

Press Shift+F10 to display the pop-up menu.

Choose a menu item:

Press the Down Arrow key to move through the menu, highlight the item you want, then press Return.

Or, type the underlined letter in the menu item's name (its mnemonic).

Or, type the shortcut key, as listed to the right of the item's name.

To Use the Window Menu

Press Alt+Tab or Alt+Esc to move the keyboard focus, as shown by the highlight, to the window or icon.

Press Alt+Spacebar to display the Window menu.

Press the key for the menu item's mnemonic (the underlined character in the item's name).

To close the menu without choosing an item, press Esc.

To Switch to Another Workspace

Press Alt+Tab until you've placed the keyboard focus, as shown by the highlight, on the Front Panel.

Press the arrow keys to move the highlight to the button for the workspace you want to display.

Press Return or the Spacebar.

To Rename a Workspace

Press Alt+Tab until you've placed the keyboard focus, as shown by the highlight, on the Front Panel.

Press the arrow keys to move the highlight to the button for the workspace you want to rename.

Press Shift+F10 to display the workspace button's pop-up menu.

Press the Down Arrow key to select Rename, then press Return.

The button becomes a text field.

Edit the workspace's name in the text field.

Once you've renamed the workspace, press Return.

To Move among Windows

To move to the next window or icon, press Alt+Tab or Alt+Esc.

To move to the previous window or icon, press Shift+Alt+Tab or Shift+Alt+Esc.

To shuffle through a stack of windows, press Alt+Up Arrow or Alt+Down Arrow.

To move between the windows belonging to an application, or the Front Panel and a subpanel, press Alt+F6 or Shift+Alt+F6.

To Display a Window in Other Workspaces

Press Alt+Tab to move the keyboard focus, as shown by the highlight, to the window you want to display in other workspaces.

Display the Window menu by pressing Alt+Spacebar.

Press the Down Arrow key to select Occupy Workspace, then press Return.

The Occupy Workspace dialog box appears.

Press Tab until the keyboard focus is in the Workspaces list.

Select the workspaces in which you want the window to appear:

Press Down Arrow or Up Arrow to move through the list.

To select more than one workspace, press Shift+Down Arrow or Shift+Up Arrow.

Press Tab to move the keyboard focus to OK, then press Return or the Spacebar.

To Choose a Front Panel Control

Press Alt+Tab to move the keyboard focus to the Front Panel.

Press the arrow keys to move the highlight within the Front Panel and select a control.

Press Return or the Spacebar to choose the control and open the application's window.

To Choose a Subpanel Control

Press Alt+Tab to move the keyboard focus to the Front Panel.

Press the arrow keys to move the highlight within the Front Panel to one of the subpanel arrow controls, then press Return.

Press the arrow keys to move the highlight among the controls within the subpanel, then press Return or the Spacebar to choose a selected control.

To close the subpanel without choosing a control, press Esc.

To Move the Front Panel

Press Alt+Tab to move the keyboard focus to the Front Panel.

Press Alt+Spacebar to display the Front Panel menu.

Press M, the menu's mnemonic for Move.

Press the arrow keys to relocate the Front Panel.

Hold down Control while you press an arrow key to speed up the movement of the Front Panel.